Ridge

  Chapter 3

  The long hard ride did nothing for his state of mind. He brought his horse down to a walk and followed the fence line checking for bad boards or loose wire. As he slowly moved along in the distance he could hear a horse coming up. He turned slightly in the saddle and saw Maggie riding up beside him. The look in her eyes told him she was curious.

  "You know Mallory's single and she's a real catch." She said with a large grin as she stared at her brother. It was so nice having him back home.

  Ridge gave his sister a dark look. "Maggie I'm not looking for a woman right. Please don't play matchmaker little sister." He nudged his horse into motion and continued up the fence line.

  "Now Ridge don't act like that. I saw the way you looked at her." She followed her brother up the fence line. "You've been so depressed since you returned and I think you need to have some fun. Before you left for war things were different, real different. I miss the old Ridge."

  Groaning he stopped and turned to look at his little sister. "Maggie the things I've seen and done in the last couple years have changed me. I'm sorry to be a disappointment to you." He closed his eyes to shut out the memories as they came crashing in. "I know that you want to help but I just need some time to learn how to cope."

  "Oh Ridge I missed you so much while you were gone. It's been wonderful having you back home. You could never be a disappointment to me." For a little while they rode in silence and then she turned back to her brother. "I guess I just miss the way we were before you left. We'd ride and talk and laugh constantly."

  Something inside of Ridge melted a little as she talked. He missed their rides too. "Race you to the Creek!" With that he spurred his horse forward.

  With a laugh she raced after him and felt like she had the old Ridge again. Once they reached the Creek he turned and smiled feeling like his old self for a moment. He jumped down and walked around to help his sister down off her horse.

  They flung themselves down into the tall grass and watched the clouds roll by. It was like old times just her and Ridge. When they returned to the barn his heart felt lighter and he had hope that maybe things were looking up. He hugged his sister warmly as he walked out of the barn.

  He climbed up into his truck and headed to the house, that's when he noticed Mallory's truck parked in front of the main house. Groaning he got out and walked up the front walk. Maybe he could go straight upstairs and avoid another run in with the new vet.

  His hopes were dashed as he walked in the front door. Mallory and his father stood in the hallway talking. Both looked up as he hung his hat on a hook by the door. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. This was his luck here lately and it didn't look to change anytime soon.

  "Son, have you met Mallory yet?" The twinkle in his father's eyes made Ridge feel edgy. What was he up to?

  "Yes dad, we met earlier in the barn." His answer was short as he headed for the stairs trying desperately not to make eye contact with the woman. The fact that just being in close proximity to her made him tingle all over was enough to drive him insane.

  Of course his father wasn't done with the conversation. "Ridge, dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes. Mallory is joining us, so please try to be on time." His father wasn't fooling him. The man was playing matchmaker and that only angered him further.

  He continued up the steps without responding. As soon as he was in his room with the door shut he let out the breath he'd been holding. "Maybe I'll just be swallowed up by some unseen force." The thought of sitting across from that woman during dinner made him cringe. The feelings of dread made his mood worsen.

  One thing was certain; he needed to get out of this house quickly. Walking to the bathroom that joined his room, he turned on the water and turned to undress. Just thinking of the warm shower helped to sooth some of his tense irritation. He let the water run over his head for a few minutes trying to drown out his memories that suddenly pushed to the surface.

  It was hard for him to concentrate when the images flashed before his eyes. What caused this flashback was a mystery to him. He could hear the gunfire as though he were there. The smell of acrid smoke and the scent of war filled his senses. Closing his eyes he ground his teeth in anguish.

  The sounds in his head were almost unbearable. He could hear men crying out in pain and bombs exploding nearby. The worst of the sounds were his screams of terror and anger mixed into one gut wrenching sound. His head fell back in a pained reflex as the memory took over and made his whole body rigid.

  A knock at the bathroom door brought him out of the flashback. "What?" He growled through clenched teeth.

  Maggie's sweet voice drifted through the door. "Mom said to tell you dinner is ready."

  Ridge knew he couldn't be with his family in this state of mind. But what excuse could he use? "Maggie tell mom I'm sorry, but I forgot I already had plans." He hated lying but for the sake of his sanity which was hanging by a thread he had to get out of here.

  "Alright, but she cooked your favorite, fried steak and biscuits with gravy." Her voice held worry. Maggie had always been able to read his moods. "Are you alright?" She said in a low voice which held worry.

  "Yeah sis, I'm fine, just running late." The feeling of compassion in her voice helped to sooth some of the horror away. "Tell mom to save me a plate for later."

  He could almost hear the smile in her voice when she responded. "I'll tell her. Have fun tonight."

  "Thanks, I'll try my best." He reached for his towel as he turned the water off.